Darkside: Magia Erebea
by Black Sun Upon An Icy Sky
Summary: He used Magia Erebea in a fight once again - just this time things go out of hand. Just what do you do... if you have to face of against your own dark side?/slight NegiAsuna/


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**Darkside: Magia Erebea**

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Seriously, what's with me and writing stories for my friends?  
I'm not so far into the storyline of this series and hardly know anything about Negi's dark powers but I will just try and pray it's not too far from the darn canon. If it is, well, then I'm sorry :D

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"… _**Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes,  
they win**_"  
Stephen King

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**Dedicated To:** Aw, you know who you are, ne, Rika-chan?

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_**Hey, old man.**_

_**Hmm?**_

_**Sensei's Magia Erebea... you were saying he's nowhere near ready to use it in battle yet, right?**_

_**Yeah.**_

_**When I was watching his training, it certainly didn't seem that way... is that really not enough? I guess maybe darkness really just isn't suited for a serious, honest kid like him?**_

_**Dummy... you've got it backwards. His affinity is too strong. That's what's so dangerous. There's darkness lurking away in the very basest depths of his heart...**_

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The red-haired boy sunk to his knees in exhaustion, his breath was labored and cold sweat run down his forehead as he looked at the bloody heap of the creature he had just defeated for the sake of his friend.

His usually pale skin was still tinted black with white markings adorning it from unsealing the powers of Evangeline's forbidden technique.

Taking another deep breath of air he brought up his right forearm to wipe away some of the salty liquid sticking to his skin.

**--the technique feeds on the user's body and soul – in return giving them greater power--**

He had noticed it the very first time he used that cursed branch of magic. Noticed how it ate away at his body and soul, shorting his life span, weakening his heart's resolve. But the most terrible thing about it was how while using it his past played before his inner eye over and over again, further eating away at his already fragile willpower.

"Negi!!"

He smiled meekly as the orange-haired teenage girl run over to him. "Ah, Asuna-san."

The next he knew was her slapping him in the face. The next second she had him in a bone-crashing hug pressing his face... well, you can guess where. "Stupid, stupid Negi! I could've handled this thing myself!"

Releasing him for him to be able to breathe he smiled kindly at her. "I know but you shouldn't have to, Asuna-san."

"Idiot."

A sudden pulse-like feeling in his head made the young teacher pause, his eyes widening.

Asuna frowned. "Negi?"

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…_.................... Negi........_

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**--Dummy... you've got it backwards. His affinity is too strong. That's what's so dangerous.--**

"Negi?" She tried again but to no avail. The young boy didn't flinch and only stared blankly in her direction without looking at her. A low and creaky whisper-like sound could be heard, reminding of crawling snakes over forest ground as she witnessed his eyes' sclera turn pitch black to go with the rest of his skin, the normal auburn tint of his irises became a bluish-white.

_Oh hell no..._

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"_So you mean... by using this technique he practically delivers the dark side his soul on a silver platter?"_

"_Now you got it, huh? But you're right. Every time he uses Magia Erebea there's the danger of him losing to his dark side."_

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Asuna swayed back a bit then sunk forward some, blood slowly dripping out of her partly opened lips as her eyes closed slightly, her sight getting foggy and blurrier by the second. She could all too clearly feel _his_ hand that had stabbed her on height of her stomach, broke her ribs apart and barely missed her vertebral column.

"Why...?" The word escaped her parted lips, which were stained ruby by her own blood by now, only in the intensity of a light summer's breeze on a dry day.

Her only answer was his intake of breath in a rustling, once again creaky sound of slithering snakes on arid leaves and branches that was let out of his lungs in an eerie cackle.

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**--there is darkness lurking away in the very basest depths of his heart--**

….......................... Negi...........

_That........ voice....._

…............. Negi.......!

…_. I know.... that voice................._

…...Negi, pay attention!

And it wasn't long until he opened his eyes-

-to be met with his father's face.

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**--what he has yet to learn is to never judge a book by its cover--**

The young boy blinked several times. Because, really, this had to be an illusion. Not only was his father standing there bend over him but when he looked aside he was able to see the village he'd lived in but which was destroyed since well over 6 years.

They both were currently on a little clearing at the foot of one of the mountains surrounding the village, his staff lay next to him, his father held an exact replica in his right hand.

What was going on?

"Stop spacing out!" With that Nagi had hit the young boy over the head with his staff.

**--for it could very well mean his end--**

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**--But just how do you conquer the darkness inside of you?--**

Negi jerked up and turned around with wide eyes as he regarded the figure looking just like his father.

Hadn't he been with Asuna-san just moments ago?

At that thought his eyesight began to blurry over making the form of the thousand master a cloud of colorful patches. But just as suddenly as this occurrence had unfold, his view became steady again causing the 10-year-old to blink rapidly to be able to focus on his father's scowling figure once again.

_Wait... with _whom_ was I again?_

If Negi had been focusing on his father's eyes that moment, he would have seen them flashing bluish-white as that thought crossed Negi's mind.

_He's losing even though I am not doing anything..._

And as if on cue Negi's sorrel orbs got dimmer at their brims signaling a part of his soul being lost to the being in front of him.

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_Did I mention? The dark side of a person manifests itself in their own greatest weakness._

_How do you mean that?_

_That which represents your greatest weakness, flaw, your greatest _sin_ will be the form of your dark side._

_So... what would Sensei's dark side look like?_

_I can't say for sure... but I have a sad theory... and if I'm right... his chance to win against it... is slim to none._

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'Nagi' sighed but then grinned as he crossed his arms over his chest not letting go of his staff. "Seriously, Negi, stop spacing out. No wonder I was able to bring you down in one stroke. If I were to be a real foe you'd be pushing daisies already. Tsk, tsk, if you want to become like me then do something for it!"

_Too bad for you... I _am_ a real foe, just more subtle than the delinquents you faced before._

His expression showed nothing of his internal thoughts as he offered his 'son' a helping hand. But upon grasping said limb tightly in his own he tugged at it harshly putting enough force into it to make the young boy stumble and fall over right behind the tall man. Said red-head laughed heartily as he turned around and put a food on the younger's back as if boasting with a cut prey.

"Since when do enemies help each other to their feet?! Take this seriously, brat!"

Albeit him offending Negi in such an open manner there was no venom apparent in his tone of speech, only playfulness. The kind of voice a father would use when playing war with his son.

A scene this was closely resembling even though it was far from it by any means.

Every move he made, every syllable that spilled from his lips was calculated and only existed to conquer the boys soul, to throw the ruler of this body and soul off his stand and to crown himself the new possessor of the two aforementioned. And – judging by the rapidly dimming irises of the young Springfield – he was prevailing much faster than he anticipated.

_This is easier than originally thought..._

But it shouldn't surprise him. Who would ever be able to fight off the influence of their 'father'?

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How had they engaged in battle?

Negi couldn't remember. In fact, he couldn't remember much at this point anyways. He still knew that in front of him stood his father – although it was only a form his fears and weaknesses took on, not that he was aware of it – he still recognized the landscape they were surrounded by but everything else slowly faded, like book pages exposed to the sunlight for too long, like faded photographs found once again after being forgotten and neglected for centuries on end.

He yelped as he once again fell down onto his rear end, his staff escaping his weakened grasp on its hilt. He gritted his teeth as he heard his father's laughter echo throughout the clearing with mirth.

"How you were able to survive so far is a riddle to me, but I guess the sole fact should be all I need, huh?"

'Nagi' helped the young boy up once again, this time without making him hit the ground _once more_, his fake smile getting real and slightly arrogant as he noticed only a faint glimmer of the once russet-colored irises remained and the rest of his orbs had become a dull, earthly brown.

He shouldn't be able to remember anything but his name by now.

Then again... how difficult was it to break a 10-year-old? There wasn't that much to remember in anyways.

**--Easy. You do not for it is impossible.--**

And as if on cue Negi's pupils vanished and all of his irises turned blank as his form got transparent, slowly fading into nothingness – finally slipping out of 'Nagi's hand.

Before he disappeared fully his dark side allowed a face-splitting grin to make its way onto his facial expression.

"Sayonara... Negi-_sensei_..."

And he fell into darkness.

~*~

"A...gh..."

His current form didn't look like the demonic one reported by the others. In fact, if it wasn't for his eyes and his behavior he could've fooled her.

Special emphasis on _could have_.

At first he had used magic, dark versions of the lightning spells their sensei used normally. And she had evaded and nullified most of them until the wound in her stomach finally caught up with her, made her cough up crimson blood that sprayed to the ground.

His dark silhouette had cackled in delighted dementia at the sight of the rich vine-colored stains of life essence adorning her tattered clothing and the crushed, ruined ground below.

It was as she held herself upright, only keeping herself on her feet through leaning heavily on her large sword, that he began beating her up without using even a glimpse of magic anymore.

And with her being very nearly rendered motionless she couldn't do anything but endure it.

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Asuna very nearly choked on the gore that tore from her crushed left lung as his rock-hard fist connected with her chest, the other crashing into her ribcage like a sledgehammer. The force of the mighty impact threw her back a few yards as she made contact with the floor and then slid farther, getting cuts and slashes all over her exposed skin on arms, legs and stomach, which was already torn apart to large degrees.

Another coughing fit ensued as she took in a shaky breath.

The next she knew was his vice-like grip around her neck, hoisting her up so her feet were dangling over the crumbled rubble of the ground. He had raised a pale eyebrow at her, a toothy and maniac grin spread across his normally gently features as his hand tightened around her neck.

"N-negi...!" Was all she could gasp out before all air was cut off from her.

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_N-negi...!_

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He was sinking.

Sinking and drowning in an endless ocean of blackness, small and delicate orbs of oxygen escaped his slightly parted lips only to rise up high into the waters until they were out of sight. His eyes were closed, his startling red hair moved slightly in the light tides, the dark water taking all color from his fiery locks, leaving them a sickly violet-gray tint.

…_......e............!_

His eyebrows moved up the tiniest bit, nearly invisible to the human eye.

…_..........eg........!_

His brows that previously rose now scrunched up in a light scowl, a frown of sorts, as he strained his deaf ears to catch the sound traveling soundlessly through the tranquil waters.

…_....ne......! …..........n.......... gi.....!_

The dim and lifeless eyes of his opened the slightest bit, his right hand reached upwards, grasping desperately for something, _anything_, _**anyone**_ to get a hold of it, to drag him upwards towards the surface, towards the _sun_, just so he wasn't in this endless darkness anymore.

…_..neg......! …...egi......!_

He could feel himself sink quicker and deeper, down towards Davy Jones's locker from where there wouldn't be any escape anymore, from where their would be no such thing as _salvation_. His eyes opened some more, his right limb grasping for a hold much more hopelessly for he could feel the coldness of the nearing ocean bed clearer and clearer through his numbed senses.

Don't... A********... please... don't...!

…_...................................................negi.................!_

_N-negi...!_

His dull orbs narrowed, resolve taking the place of desperation, as the young mage finally made out the blurry silhouette of an arm.

_**N-negi...!**_

And just as he grasped for the hand-

_Asuna-san!_

-his eyes got their russet color back, a firm resolve just as it was clear on his face filled them to th brim, nearly flowing out of them in waves of energy as he felt himself being pulled back towards the surface.

**--For it is a part of your being.--**

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Just as the orange-haired teenager was about to pass out the grip around her neck softened, loosened, enough for her to finally breathe. And as her eyesight steadied out once again she was able to watch on as the _creature_'s expression contorted into something that might've been dismay, or shock, or both laced into one, big expression of utter horror as the blue faded from its eyes just to be replaced by the warm, auburn coloration that she knew so well from her sensei, as its white hair slowly dyed back to startling red and the skin became human again, the white markings that seemed to be carved into the flesh seconds before fading, leaving no trace of their being there behind.

Finally, his grip on her neck was loosened completely and she fell to the ground, just as her sensei passed out and was barely caught by her weak arms.

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His father, or more precisely his dark side, was sitting on the branch of a tree, playfully swinging his legs back and forth, each always opposing to the other as he had a lunatic grin on his facial features, only his eyes betraying the image he tried to uphold, giving away his anxiousness.

"So... you going to kill me, now that I lost every ounce of power I held?"

Negi regarded him only shortly, before turning away, back towards where he knew was an exit from the darker parts of his soul, ironically being the nicest and brightest section of his mind. "No... it would end up being futile. You are the manifestation of my most primal fears and weaknesses... you are a part of my being. And after all..." at that he turned his face towards him over his shoulder. "It's senseless to fight yourself, for it will always draw out a point-blank."

With that he faded from view, leaving his darker side to contemplate on his words all alone.

**--All you have to do is accept it, for it means salvation.--**

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He meekly opened his eyes to lock his russet orbs with the azure-blue ones of Asuna, they held worry very apparent in them. He attempted a smile but it was too weak to be of any calming doing. "Gomenasai for putting you through all this, Asuna-san..."

She shook her head viciously at him, tears brimming her eyes but not falling. "It wasn't your fault, baka-Negi."

He only smiled brighter at her response.

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The text at the beginning is from Chapter 219, page 5 (Menace! Magia Erebea!!).  
And my dictionary said that 'nagi' can be translated into 'calm' (nautical)... cool *-*  
I was up all night to finally finish this so be grateful!!  
Please R&R!!

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